Ladies, there’s another part of your body you should be grooming other than just the hair on your head. No, I don’t mean the hair on your legs; I’m talking about the hair down there.

Before you start the grooming process, you might want toget to know yourself better in that area. Use a hand mirror if needed, so that you’re familiar with it and aware if something seems unnaturalto you.

The vagina cleans itself naturally. Other than some mild soap and water, not much else is needed to keep it clean. Grooming it, on the other hand, takes a little more work. Do some prepping before hair removal. One popular method isexfoliating. Try using a body wash with exfoliating beads in the shower like Burt’s Bees Radiance Exfoliating Body Wash. Removing the dead skin around that area will prevent ingrown hairs from getting trapped.

To wax or not to wax? That’s alwaysthe painful question you have to ask yourself. If you decide on waxing, choose a clean and reputable salon/spa. You’re exposing yourself to unknown bacteria and there’s another person getting just as up close and personal as your gynecologist. There are many pros to waxing such as asmooth area for weeks at a time and the hair growing back thinner and softer. When you choose to go with a wax, you are now left with two personal styles:the partial Brazilian wax and the full Brazilian. With a partial Brazilian, you’ll be left with what’s called a landing strip, or a vertical line of hair running down the middle. A full Brazilian gets rid of ALL hair including any on your buttocks.

However, waxing might be a little too much to handle for some, and shaving will do just fine. It’s a less painful option, but caution should be taken as well. Always use a disposable razor to help avoid irritation and bacteria from building. Shave in the direction your hair grows, otherwise you’ll end up with ingrown hair and razor bumps. In just one or two days be prepared to see the hair growing back. The quick hair growth is a pain, but it’s a much tolerable one compared to that of waxing.

Some women choose not to remove all of their hair from down there and that’s perfectly fine and safe too. Nair’s bikini cream can be used to remove the hair from your bikini area only. Apply the creamonto the area that you would like to removefor about three minutes then rinseoff. This option will leave you smooth for about four to seven days.

Which ever method you decide will work best for you; make sure to apply a cream or ointment for ingrown hair and razor bump prevention. Try a product like Tend Skin. It’s a liquid solution that’s recommended to be applied before and after the hair removal process. It helps heal the skin.

There’s nothing wrong with a little experimenting. Try more than one method to decide which works best for your lifestyle.